When to Allow Free Shipping

[mwbrown]

Hello, Everyone.

I am close to opening my online store, but I keep re-reading my policies to make sure I can honor everything that I promise regarding shipping and subsequent returns, exchanges, and refunds. I read an article on an ecommerce marketing website, and they were recommending that to retain and build your customer base, you should offer free shipping in every instance, except for refunds. I can see the sense in that, but since I am just starting to sell, and don't have a lot of inventory and no income to speak of at this point, I decided to only offer free shipping on returns. I'm afraid that offering free shipping for everything from the start will make it harder to build my business. Would you agree with me that it would be wiser in the early stages if I offer free shipping only for returns?

Thank you for your thoughts.
Mary Brown

[DawninCal]

I don't do free shipping and never have. Most sellers simply add the cost of shipping to the price of their jewelry which means the customer isn't really getting free shipping and I'd rather keep the price of my jewelry down. As far as I know it hasn't hurt me.

I offer free shipping on returns if the item is defective in some way, but if the customer simply decides they don't like or want the item, they pay for return shipping. I have only ever had one return and the customer paid the shipping to return it. It was a ring and didn't fit because she didn't know her true ring size.

On a bit of a tangent, but don't ever refund purchase price until you have the item back in your hands.

Best of luck and much success to you!



Dawn

[caeterle]

What Dawn said.
It is an everlasting discussion. I only sell in FB groups these days and not one of the sellers there offers free shipping, the only exception is if people order above a certain amount. I have been known to give buyers a discount if they order a lot at the same time or if they become recurring customers. It's always my choice to do that, though, and the discount can change depending on the amount, sometimes I give them free shipping (which is a lot for me if it's overseas), sometimes part of the shipping.

I have never had a return so far, only one parcel came back because the lady didn't pick up at the P.O. in time. I gave her the choice to send it again, with postage of course or to give her a refund minus the postage. She was surprised about the extra postage, I think, but it hadn't been my fault.
In the end she decided on the refund and I was actually glad because I didn't need any more hassle. I later sold the earrings to someone else who loved them, so that worked out fine.